Here’s a reminder for all the parents of Newtown High School students attending this year’s senior prom: You are invited to submit photos of your children attending the event for possible publication by e-mailing Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck, at eliza@thebee.com. With NHS’s senior prom scheduled for this Friday, May 6, parents can submit photos, with the names of those pictured from left to right, by Monday, May 9, at noon. Photos selected will run in the May 13, 2022 print edition of The Newtown Bee, as space allows.

Congratulations to Caroline Reichmann, who recently won first place in a Loyola University Theology Undergraduate Essay Competition. Caroline is just completing her junior year at Loyola, where she is majoring in biopsychology with a minor in Spanish. She had written an essay for one of her theology classes, and it was her professor who encouraged her to submit it for the annual competition. The 2022 theme was “Theology in Action.” Caroline’s essay, “‘Freaky Sunday’: How Attending a Deaf Mass Transformed My Theological Perspective as a Hearing Individual,” fit perfectly into that theme. Essays were judged for clarity, style, quality of reflection, and application. If her name sounds a little familiar, Caroline was not only a member of the NHS Class of 2019, she was also in the top 10 percentage of that class of 412 students.

I know some dogs who are barking all about next week’s planned 11th Annual Strutt Your Mutt event, set for Saturday, May 14, from 11 am to 2 pm. An announcement from Newtown Parks & Recreation reads, “Join Newtown Park and Bark and Newtown Parks and Recreation for this exciting Dog Walk and Fair featuring demonstrations, contests, a fun 2K walk, games, and more. Weenie Lynn’s Food Truck will be joining us.” If other vendors are interested they can still call Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano at 203-270-4373.

St Rose Friday Night Bingo will celebrate its season finalé next weekend. All ages are invited to play and enjoy the games, which are played in the Monsignor Weiss Gathering Hall of St Rose of Lima School, 40 Church Hill Road. Doors open at 5:45 pm, and games run from 6:30 until 9:30 pm. Admission is $20, which includes all regular games. No reservations — seating is first-come, first-served — but additional information is available by calling 203-426-5102.

There is a press release in our Enjoy section this week, but we want to make sure those who are interested in attending next week’s presentation by Sandy Hook resident Anda Styler know where to go, and the correct time. Styler will be the guest artist for The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN), who continues to temporarily host programs away from their regular location of Newtown Meeting House. For Anda’s program on May 11, guests should gather in the meeting room of C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, at 5 pm (earlier than usual for the first-Wednesday-of-the-month program). See the Enjoy pages or our calendars, in print and online, for additional details.

I hear C.H. Booth Library’s Seed Library is now open. The Seed Library is located in a transformed vintage card catalog on the third floor of 25 Main Street. It has many vegetable, herb, flower, and native heirloom seeds. Steck’s Nursery and Shortt’s Farm both donated seed packets for it, for which organizers are very grateful. Check it out, plant some seeds, and don’t forget to continue supporting the Seed Library right back. Directions are available at the Seed Library.

Slight clarification to one of last week’s Mountain notes: BSA Troop 270 will be doing a fundraiser this Saturday, but it will not be in conjunction with a Community Tag Sale planned for next month. Members of the local troop, which has been sponsored for eons by Newtown Congregational Church, will be at the church for a “No Sell” Fundraiser Collection. Between 9 am and 1 pm Saturday, the public is invited to drive up and drop off clothing, shoes, accessories, bags, textiles, pillows, small household goods, kitchen items, games, knick-knacks, and small electronics. Donations will then be taken to Savers, where the Scouts will receive funds in exchange for the collected items. The church is at 14 West Street; watch for signs and Scouts directing traffic for the drive-thru event.

Meanwhile, the church is planning a Community Tag Sale on Saturday, June 11. Nonprofits and others who want to sell off items, promote membership, sell event tickets, etc, will all be setting up in the church parking lot that day. Participants will be donating their proceeds to the charitable organization of their choice. Reservations are open and available at rebrand.ly/nonprofittag or leave a message at 203-747-5627 or 203-482-8447 to begin the reservation process or for additional information. Vendors will be allowed to set up at 9 am that morning; rain date is the following weekend, June 18. Organizers will provide each vendor with a table and chair.

Do you know an organist? There is an opening for an organist at Bridgewater Congregational Church after its organist for the past 17 years retired. The job is for Sundays, when the organist plays a prelude and postlude of their choice and three hymns. The church has a pianist for the service music and anthem. The job could start immediately. If there are two musicians who would like to share the job that works too. If interested contact Maggi Heilweil at maggih136@gmail.com.

Rain, rain, go away! … or at least take a pause next Saturday, when Newtown High School Boys Volleyball team will be doing car washes in exchange for donations. Team members will be at Berkshire Motors, 25 Berkshire Road — opposite the entrance to the high school — washing and drying vehicles of all shapes and sizes from 10 am until 2 pm. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

I would never let this week go by without saying thank you for all of Newtown’s teachers! As Board of Education members highlighted at its May 3 meeting, May 2-6 marked Teacher Appreciation Week. Every year, Newtown’s teachers impress me by how much they are capable of, and these last two years have certainly increased that appreciation tenfold. May each of Newtown’s teachers know just how appreciated they are.

Amazing teachers certainly bring out amazing students. And I can’t help but share this praise from Board of Education member John Vouros. At the school board’s Tuesday meeting he said of last week’s Reed Intermediate School play Becky Thatcher: “I am here to report they are now headed to Broadway.” No. Not really, but the cast certainly was good. Congratulations to the cast, crew, and production team! Now I’m counting down to see Newtown Middle School’s musical, details of which are in this week’s Education section.

I’m full of appreciation every week when you promise the next week to ... Read me again.